Come hear my 61 word ramblings
This is a great article regarding diversity in gaming development. If not for my fatigue in being “the black guy” in any arena of IT development – application, web, or otherwise – I’d have pursued game programming long ago. I have to appreciate this read for bringing attention to rampant racism in on-line gaming, as well. It’s why I keep my multi-player chat muted.
Sony, you have had a great turnaround. Around 2005, you egotistically boasted that consum
ers should be so honored to get your system that they would get additional employment to afford its stratospheric pricetag.
Fast forward 9 years, and Sony is leading this latest generation of gaming consoles with a combination of incredible hardware, low price tag, and a focus on independent developers.
Bravo!
Like most 35+ year olds, there is a special place in our hearts for the Super NES. It took the best 8-bit home gaming system of the day and injected steroids into it, giving us near arcade-quality gameplay in homes everywhere. By the end of its life, it was a true powerhouse of graphics and audio capability that Sega just couldn’t quite beat. Just the availability of Mortal Kombat II in a living room was an amazing feat!
Well, it’s time to take nostalgia to level 42 with these sets of images by Glauber Tanaka and Victor Sauron. If only these images were screen caps from remakes of these games with the realistic backgrounds! The concept is refreshing and makes you want to break out an emulator just to relive the memories. I have definitely given new considerations to getting a certain item in the near future. Some of their other images are listed after the break, for your perusal.
Continue reading “When Real Gaming Meets the Real World – Game Characters in Real Settings”
The story of the OUYA has been the amazing story of a little, hand-held game system with Kickstarter backing that might have enough clout to topple the big boys. Their concept is to bring the ubiquitous Android programming platform to a dedicated game system. The other advantages are its HD output and incredibly low $99 price tag (orders are supposed to start shipping tomorrow).
Well, a talented emulator developer, Robert Broglia, has announced, via OUYAForum, that he will be focusing his efforts on the device. The advantage is obvious, in that the wealth of nostalgic games will immediately expand the library right out of the gate.
Personally, I had only given the device a passing glance as a “cute trinket” that wouldn’t take up much space in an entertainment console, but this announcement, as well as the possibility of the thousands of other Android games that could be used on this device, got me thinking. In fact, it wouldn’t surprise me if the device steals some of the “mini game” business from the XBox 360 and PS3 platforms.
Okay, I must be a dullard or losing my extremely uncanny powers of intrusive observation. Somehow, I never noticed the little headphone jack on the bottom of the Playstation 4 controller. However, while perusing Engadgets pics, I saw it clear as day. I have to assume it is a headphone jack based on the tiny raised image of a microphone above the port. The left side of it looks to be micro-USB connection while the right appears to be a simple microphone-sized input orifice. The image links to the original image, so others can make their own equally non-informed guesses.
So the somewhat twisted mind of Hideo Kojima has made a teaser trailer for Metal Gear Solid V available for the masses. The setting looks to be entirely within the ICU at a poorly staffed hospital, and later in an aquarium filled with gasoline (even the developer’s whale is on fire). Additionally, it would appear that Solid Snake will keep losing bones, organs, and appendages until he is either the invisible android from Metal Gear Solid 3 or actually becomes his literal name. Either way, the lighting effects were interesting. And wait till you see what these guys do with soiled rags, ferns, and horses in conference rooms!
I have no doubts that the game is probably masterfully put together, but Kojima’s intense stories as well as cryptic back and side stories are exactly the stuff the writers of Lost tried to emulate. I have the whole collection, but I feel like an ADHD sufferer trying to track it all.
In a move that shows exactly how an ingenious mind and ingenuity can stretch the limits of our mundane office applications, Cary Walkin, a Canadian accountant in Toronto, Canada has created a full-functioning role-playing game within Microsoft Excel. Just so the gravity of this accomplishment is clear, the game features:
It’s pretty impressive stuff and definitely deserves a play through. Kudos, Cary!
Oh, and for those of you unfamiliar with boss-switches, here is a good example.